| 2088: The Cryllan Mission | |
|---|---|
 Cover art by Jose Villegas | |
| Developer | Victory Software |
| Publisher | Victory Software |
| Designers | Vinay Pai Vivek Pai Vijay Pai[1] |
| Platform | Apple IIGS |
| Release | 1989 1990 (The Second Scenario) |
| Genre | Role-playing |
| Mode | Single-player |
2088: The Cryllan Mission is a 1989role-playing video game developed and published by Victory Software for theApple IIGS.
2088: The Cryllan Mission is a game in which a new spacecraft crew must find out what happened to the U.S.S. Houston on the planet Crylla.[2]
2088: The Cryllan Mission was developed by Victory Software, which was composed of brothers Vinay, Vivek, and Vijay Pai. The family moved fromIndia toHouston in 1978 and purchased anApple computer in 1981 with a young Vinay quickly learning to code on the machine.[3] The brothers began submitting programs to theApple II-centric magazineNibble in 1982.[4] Vinay graduated fromRice University in 1988 with a degree incomputer science, first working forIBM before forming Victory with Vivek and Vijay that same year.[5] Their company’s name was taken from the ubiquitous brand in theGeorge Orwell novelNineteen Eighty-Four.[6]
Vinay led the team on the three titles they produced, writing one third of thecode using anApple IIGS, givingdemos, and doing the company'scold calling. He also penned the manual for2088 and said that they commissioned the cover artwork for $250.[3] The team relied on Apple for marketing, believing the IIGS to show immense promise for the future. Vinay later proclaimed that they were committed to the IIGS in what he posited was a time when many companies were abandoning the platform. "Victory Software, however, has written a true IIGS application and, in the process, created a role-playing game with some unconventional features, such as our conversation", he stated.[4] The game’s design was influenced by the developers' Indian heritage and their interests inpopular culture includingStar Trek,Apocalypse Now,The Killing Fields, and theUltima series. The repetitive and verbose speech of its NPCs was intended to pad the game’s length and challenge the player to decipher clues to advance.[6]
2088 was released in 1989. The trio spent tens of thousands of dollars on manufacturing about 5,000 full-color game boxes.[7] They sold the game online, through magazines, and atBabbage’s inDallas.[5] Most of the revenue from its very steep asking price of $69.95 went back into manufacturing and advertising.[8] When it was commercially unsuccessful, Victory changed some of the graphics and dialogue and re-released it with the subtitleThe Second Scenario in 1990, packaged in original2088 boxes with a gold sticker simply slapped on to liquidate unsold stock.[7][8] Victory folded shortly thereafter, having been in operation for just two years. Vinay said in 2016 that he considered the experience "a good failure" in which he learned a lot.[3]
Dennis Owens reviewed the game forComputer Gaming World, and stated that "Overall,2088: The Cryllan Mission marks a promising entrance into the still underdeveloped market of IIGS-specific software by a new company."[2]
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